JP5194074B2 - Communication device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication device used in a communication system such as the Internet / intranet, a wireless local area network (LAN), a mobile phone, a sensor network, and a radio frequency identification (RFID), and in particular, data between different networks. The present invention relates to a communication device for relaying.

  A technique for communicating with the other party using a plurality of wired or wireless communication techniques is known. As such a technique, a program for converting between specific communication methods is prepared, and different communication devices can be connected to each other.

  For example, in the conventional techniques described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, a plurality of communication interfaces of the same type or different types are connected to a CPU (Central Processing Unit) via, for example, a bus.

  When routing between the same type of communication interfaces (routing), data is handled through a memory connected to the CPU using DMA (Direct Memory Access) or the like. When communication is performed between different types of communication interfaces, routing processing is executed after communication protocol conversion is performed by software.

JP 2005-033295 A JP 05-181657 A

  However, with the conventional technology, it is difficult to guarantee real-time performance due to software-based processing via a CPU and memory.

  In addition, in order to make communication highly reliable, it is necessary to implement functions with software and hardware for each communication interface and communication protocol, so that it is difficult to deal with various products.

  Furthermore, considering the situation in which applications using the latest wireless communication technologies such as wireless metropolitan area networks and 4th generation mobile phones will increase in the future, Providing a dedicated communication device is not desirable from the viewpoint of hardware and software development costs.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a communication device capable of routing data transmitted / received by different wireless / wired networks, that is, different communication devices and communication protocols, in real time with high reliability.

  A communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of communication units that communicate with a plurality of external apparatuses, and has at least one communication control function that processes communication data.

  The communication control function includes table information that associates the communication path with the type of communication means and conversion information, a determination function that determines the type of communication path and communication means, and a conversion function that converts data into a data format corresponding to the communication means. The conversion function for determining the operation from the determination result and the table information, and the conversion information adding function for adding the conversion information regarding the operation processing included in the table information to the data acquired by the communication means.

  Note that the conversion information included in the table information may be other table information associated with the conversion information ID.

  A communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of communication units that communicate with a plurality of external apparatuses, and a communication control unit that processes communication data. Table information for associating the path, the type of communication means, and the conversion information; and the communication control unit converts the data into a data format corresponding to the determination means for determining the communication path and the type of communication means, and the communication means. It is preferable to include a conversion unit that determines an operation from the determination result of the determination unit and the table information, and a conversion information addition unit that adds conversion information regarding the operation process of the table information to the data acquired by the communication unit. .

  The determination unit confirms the communication path and the type of the communication unit, and determines whether or not the data received by the communication unit should be processed in this communication control unit.

  Further, it is preferable that the determination unit extracts at least a part of the data acquired by the communication unit in a format corresponding to the type of the communication unit, and performs parallel processing on the extracted data.

  That is, when there are a plurality of formats corresponding to the communication means for the data acquired by the communication means, a preferred format is selected from these formats.

  Moreover, it is preferable that a conversion means determines the data conversion method based on conversion information, and performs the conversion process selected sequentially.

  Further, as a method for changing the table information, when a communication means is newly connected, the newly connected communication means has its own conversion information (may be meta information), and its own conversion information It is preferable to update the table information based on the above.

  Further, as a method for changing the table information, when a communication means is newly connected, conversion information for connecting the already connected communication means and the newly connected communication means to each other is provided. It is preferable to update the table information based on the acquired conversion information acquired from the external device.

  A communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of communication units that communicate with a plurality of external apparatuses, and a storage unit that has a communication control function for processing communication data. The table information associating the communication path with the type of communication means and the conversion information, the determination program for determining the communication path and the type of communication means, the data format corresponding to the communication means, and the determination result of the determination program And a conversion program for determining an operation from the table information, and a conversion information adding program for adding conversion information related to the operation processing of the table information to the data acquired by the communication means.

  These communication control functions are executed as programs in the CPU, and the table information is held as a database in the storage unit. Each program is implemented as a program execution object.

  In addition, the communication control function can be expanded by updating these programs.

  The communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of communication units that communicate with a plurality of external apparatuses, a plurality of communication control units that process communication data, and a storage unit. The storage unit has table information that associates the communication path, the type of communication means, and the conversion information, and the communication control unit has a determination unit that determines the communication path and the type of communication unit, and a data format corresponding to the communication unit Conversion means for determining the operation from the determination result of the determination means and the table information, and conversion information giving means for giving the conversion information related to the operation processing of the table information to the data acquired by the communication means. Then, the data acquired from the communication means is processed via a plurality of communication control units, so that the plurality of communication means transmit / receive data to / from each other.

  The communication apparatus includes a plurality of communication control units, and the communication unit and the plurality of communication control units are connected to each other via a bus, and the table information includes different types of communication paths and a plurality of communication units. Are associated with the conversion information, and the data acquired from the communication means is processed via at least one communication control unit, whereby the plurality of communication means transmit / receive data to / from each other.

  Further, the communication device has a plurality of communication control units, the communication unit is directly connected to any one of the communication control units, and the communication control unit is directly connected to the communication unit or another communication control unit, and the table information Is a means for associating different types of communication paths with a plurality of types of communication means and conversion means, and by processing data acquired from the communication means via at least one communication control unit, a plurality of communication means In this method, data is transmitted and received between each other.

  As described above, the communication device described in the present embodiment can connect different networks at low cost by using existing assets and general-purpose components.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the communication apparatus described in the present embodiment includes means for inputting / outputting table information to / from the communication control unit so that the table information can be downloaded from the CPU.

  It is also possible to construct a communication system in which these communication devices are connected to each other through different networks (communication means) and perform mutual data transmission / reception.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a different wireless / wired network, that is, a communication device capable of routing data transmitted / received using different communication devices and communication protocols with high reliability in real time.

The figure showing the outline | summary of the communication system to which the communication apparatus in 1st embodiment by this invention is applied. The figure showing an example of a structure of the corresponding | compatible table in 1st embodiment by this invention. The figure showing an example of the structure of the conversion information in 1st embodiment by this invention. The figure showing an example which provided conversion information ID to the data frame in a first embodiment by the present invention. The figure showing the flowchart regarding operation | movement of the determination means in 1st embodiment by this invention. The figure showing an example which extracted the specific byte / bit sequence of the determination means in 1st embodiment by this invention. The figure showing the flowchart regarding operation | movement of the communication control part in 1st embodiment by this invention. The figure showing the structure of the communication apparatus in 1st embodiment by this invention, and the flow of data. The figure showing an example of the data processing of the communication apparatus in 1st embodiment by this invention. The figure showing an example which matched the quality information and communication quality evaluation method in 1st embodiment by this invention. The figure showing the structural example of the communication apparatus in 2nd embodiment by this invention. The figure showing the structural example of the communication apparatus in 3rd embodiment by this invention. The figure showing an example of a structure of the corresponding | compatible table in 3rd embodiment by this invention. The figure showing an example of the structure of the conversion information in 3rd embodiment by this invention. The figure showing an example of the data processing of the communication apparatus in 3rd embodiment by this invention. The figure showing the structural example of the communication apparatus in 4th embodiment by this invention. The figure showing the structural example of the communication apparatus in 5th embodiment by this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on examples.

  Hereinafter, Example 1 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a communication system to which a communication apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied.

  The communication device 1 includes a CPU 2, a storage unit 3, a communication control unit 4, and a communication unit 5.

  The CPU 2, the storage unit 3, the communication control unit 4, and the communication unit 5 are connected to each other by a parallel connection or serial connection bus 6. Examples of the bus 6 include PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) and USB (Universal Serial Bus).

  The CPU 2 has a function of reading and executing a program from the storage unit 3 and a function of transmitting and receiving data to and from the communication unit 5 and the communication control unit 4.

  The storage unit 3 has a function of storing data transmitted and received by the communication unit 5 and data processed by the CPU 2, and is, for example, a nonvolatile memory or a volatile memory.

  The CPU 2 and the storage unit 3 may be directly connected without using the bus 6.

  The communication means 5 has a communication interface 12 and functions to perform data communication by connecting with an external device 7 having the communication interface 12 by a wired or wireless connection using a communication protocol or communication method corresponding to the communication means 5. Have

  For example, it has functions of a data link layer and a physical layer defined by IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.15.1, and IEEE 802.15.4.

  At least two or more communication means 5 are connected, and they may be the same type or different types.

  The communication interface 12 has a function of connecting the communication device 1 and the external device 7 via a network. For example, the communication interface 12 is an antenna in the case of wireless connection, and is a connector in the case of wired connection.

  One communication unit 5 may have a plurality of communication interfaces 12.

  The communication control unit 4 has a function of inputting received data received by the communication unit 5 as input data and processing the transmission data transmitted by the communication unit 5 as output data after processing according to a processing flow described later.

  The communication control unit 4 includes table information 8 (hereinafter, abbreviated as a correspondence table 8) for associating a data communication path, conversion information, and type of communication means, a determination means 9, a conversion information giving means 10, and a conversion means 11. The

  The correspondence table 8 includes information relating to a communication path such as a transmission source address and a transmission destination address included in data received by the communication unit 5, conversion information, and types of communication units (for example, communication units having different communication protocols and communication methods). Table information to be associated with each other.

  The conversion information is information that defines a method for converting one data format or communication method to the other data format or communication method when data received from one communication device 5 is transmitted from another communication device 5. It is.

  The communication control unit 4 is formed in hardware on one chip (semiconductor element). Thereby, data can be converted at high speed.

  Further, when the communication means 5 is newly added to the bus 6, the newly connected communication means 5 can update the table information 8 based on its own conversion information, or already connected. Conversion information for connecting the communication means 5 and the added communication means 5 to each other can be acquired from the external device 7 via the communication means 5 and the table information 8 can be updated.

  Further, since the communication control unit 4 is directly connected to the bus 6, the data from the communication means 5 is directly input to the corresponding table 8.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the correspondence table in the first embodiment according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the correspondence table 8 includes information (reception source IF (interface) information 21) for identifying the communication interface 12 and the communication means 5 that received the data, the final transmission destination address 22 of the data, and the next transmission. It is composed of a destination address 23, a conversion information ID (identification information) 24 associated with the conversion information 30, and the like.

  The final transmission destination address 22 is a final destination of data, and is, for example, an IP address of a network layer in IP (Internet Protocol) communication.

  The next transmission destination address 23 indicates the next hop address when performing data communication, that is, so-called multi-hop communication via a plurality of communication devices 1. For example, it is a MAC (Media Access Control) address of the data link layer in IP communication.

  The conversion information ID 24 is identification information for deriving the conversion information 30 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, for example.

  In FIG. 2, information described in the item of the reception source IF information 21 indicates the type of communication means. Further, the communication path is determined by the information described in the items of the final transmission destination address 22 and the next transmission destination address 23. The conversion information ID 24 is identification information indicating a relationship with the conversion information.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of conversion information in the first embodiment according to the present invention.

  FIG. 3 shows an example in which conversion information 30 is defined when the conversion information ID 24 is 0x0001 to 0x0004.

  Here, the configuration of the correspondence table 8 does not necessarily have to be as shown in FIG. 2, and the correspondence relationship between the data communication path (source and destination) and the data conversion means becomes clear. Any format is acceptable. For example, the address of the data transmission source may be used instead of the reception source IF information 21. Further, instead of the conversion information ID 24, the conversion information 30 may be directly included in the correspondence table 8.

  The determination unit 9 has a function of analyzing data received by the communication unit 5 and determining whether or not the data is to be processed by the communication control unit 4.

  Details of the processing flow of the determination means 9 will be described later.

  The conversion information giving means 10 is means for giving the conversion information 30 or the conversion information ID 24 to the data received by the communication means 5.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the conversion information ID is assigned to the data frame according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 4A, the conversion information ID 24 or the next transmission destination address 23 may be added to the head of the data frame 41, or as shown in FIG. The conversion information ID 24 and the next transmission destination address 23 may be given to the data frame 41. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4C, the conversion information ID 24 and the header are separated from the head of the data frame 41 and the data. The next transmission destination address 23 may be given.

  In addition to the conversion information 30 and the conversion information ID 24, a part of the information in the correspondence table 8, such as the next transmission destination address 23, may be added.

  Further, instead of directly assigning to the data frame 41, a method may be adopted in which information is stored in a memory or the like and sequentially referred to during data processing.

  Further, instead of adding the conversion information 30 to the data, a method of determining the processing of the conversion unit 11 by a method of setting parameters in advance for the conversion unit 11 described later may be used.

  The conversion unit 11 has a function for converting data into a predetermined format, and a function for generating or updating information such as parameters necessary for data format conversion.

  There may be a plurality of types and a plurality of conversion means 11.

  Further, the conversion means 11 has, for example, a function for evaluating communication quality (RSSI, PER, BER, etc.), a function for setting a communication channel from the evaluated communication quality, and input data input by a plurality of communication means 5. A function to integrate, a function to divide input data input by one communication means 5 into output data to a plurality of communication means 5, and a function to convert data (protocol) between a communication means 5 and a different communication means 5 , Function to divide large size data into multiple small size data (fragment), Function to combine multiple small size data into large size data (defragment) function, Multiplex one data to improve data communication reliability For example, a function for collecting multiplexed data into one, and a function for specifying a communication path (routing).

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flowchart regarding the operation of the determining means in the first embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 5 shows a processing flow in the determination means 9.

  First, the determination unit 9 acquires data from the communication unit 5 (process 501).

  As a method for acquiring data from the communication means 5, there are the following methods.

  There is a method in which a predetermined setting for executing communication with the communication control unit 4 is performed in advance on the communication unit 5 and the CPU 2, and the communication unit 5 and the communication control unit 4 directly communicate with each other.

  In addition, there is a method in which the communication unit 5 communicates with the CPU 2 without recognizing the presence of the communication control unit 4. In this case, the communication control unit 4 reads the data transmitted from the communication means 5 to the CPU 2 and determines that the data is data to be processed by itself, and notifies the CPU 2 of an interrupt or the like. Communication is established by leaving the processing to the control unit 4.

  Further, the data acquisition source may not be from the communication unit 5 but may be acquired from the CPU 2.

  Next, the determination unit 9 acquires information (for example, identification information, type, connection position, etc.) regarding the communication unit 5 that acquired the data (process 502).

  Information regarding the communication means 5 may be determined from the content of the acquired data, the connection position on the bus 6 is acquired as hardware information, and the identification information of the communication means 5 is acquired from this hardware information. Also good.

  Next, the determination unit 9 determines whether the acquired data is data to be processed by itself based on the information regarding the communication unit 5 acquired in the process 502 (process 503).

  If it is determined that the data should be processed, a specific bit or byte string in the data is extracted (processing 504).

  Next, determination processing corresponding to the extracted bit / byte sequence is executed simultaneously (processing 505 to processing 508). For example, there are the following processes.

  It is determined whether or not the data transmission source address is valid (process 505). It is determined whether or not the final transmission destination address 22 of the data is valid (process 506). As a determination method, for example, the determination may be made based on whether or not the corresponding table 8 has a corresponding address, or may be determined based on a general routing table.

  Further, it is determined whether or not the data format is correct (process 507). It is determined whether or not error detection codes such as CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) match (processing 508).

  Note that the determination processing that cannot be executed simultaneously may be divided into several stages.

  Next, when both the transmission source address and the final transmission destination address exist in the correspondence table 8 and the routing table, it is determined whether there is valid route information (process 509).

  The effective route information indicates, for example, whether or not the final transmission destination for the data transmission source is uniquely determined by the correspondence table 8 or the routing table.

  If each determination process (process 505 to process 508) determines “No”, the process of the communication control unit 4 is terminated. When the process is terminated, the data may be discarded, or the data may be transferred to the CPU 2 and the subsequent processes may be left to the CPU 2. For example, when the final transmission destination address 22 of the data is the address of the communication device 1, the subsequent processing may be left to the CPU 2.

  If it is determined as “Yes”, the conversion information 30 or the conversion information ID 24 is acquired from the correspondence table 8 (process 510).

  Thereafter, in order to continue the process, the process proceeds to a process flow described later.

  In the process 504, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of bit / byte strings are simultaneously extracted.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example in which a specific byte / bit string of the determination unit in the first embodiment according to the present invention is extracted.

  In the process 504, the extracted byte (byte) position for the predetermined process 505, process 506, process 507, and process 508 in the data (data frame) 60 is extracted.

  There are also different types of processing. For example, even in the same process, the extracted byte (byte) position is different or the type of process is different.

  In this way, it is possible to perform extraction in a format corresponding to the type of communication means and to process the extracted data in parallel.

  Here, the bit / byte string pattern to be extracted is changed according to the type of the communication means 5. Further, the positions of the plurality of extracted bit / byte sequences may be different from each other or may be overlapped.

  Note that after determining the data format, a bit / byte string necessary for another determination process may be extracted again.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a flowchart regarding the operation of the communication control unit in the first embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 7 shows a processing flow when the determination unit 9 determines that the process is to be continued.

  First, it is determined whether or not the acquired data needs to be transmitted (output) using a plurality of communication means 5 (process 701).

  When it is necessary to use a plurality of communication means 5, the required number of data is duplicated (process 702).

  Next, the conversion information 30 or the conversion information ID 24 acquired in the process 510 of the determination unit 9 is added to the data (process 703).

  Here, in the process 702, when data is duplicated, it is given to each data. As the conversion information 30, for example, information as shown in FIG. 3 is used. Instead of the conversion information 30, the conversion information ID 24 may be used. In this case, for example, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the conversion information ID 24 and the conversion information 30 need to correspond one-to-one.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of conversion information in the first embodiment according to the present invention.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of the conversion information 30.

  The output IF 31 is identification information of the communication unit 5 and the communication interface 12 that output data.

  The IF integration 32 is flag information indicating whether or not data input from a plurality of communication means 5 and a plurality of communication interfaces 12 is integrated and handled as one data.

  The plurality of IFs 33 are flag information indicating whether one data is transmitted using the plurality of communication means 5 or the plurality of communication interfaces 12.

  When the IF integration 32 and the plurality of IFs 33 are both effective, the data input from the plurality of communication means 5 and the plurality of communication interfaces 12 are once integrated, and then again the plurality of communication means 5 and the plurality of communication. Output using the interface 12 is shown.

  The flag information of the multiple IFs 33 may be omitted. In this case, for example, when different next transmission destination addresses 23 are registered for the same final transmission destination address 22 in the correspondence table 8, a plurality of communication means 5 and a plurality of communication interfaces 12 are required. I can judge.

  The quality information 34 is information for designating a reference value and an evaluation method for evaluating the link quality between a predetermined communication apparatus and another communication apparatus when communicating wirelessly. For example, evaluation is performed based on received power, S / N (signal / noise) ratio, PER (packet error rate), BER (bit error rate), and the like.

  The channel information 35 is information for setting a communication channel and a frequency to be used when performing wireless communication.

  The conversion pattern 36 is information for designating a data frame conversion method and a communication protocol conversion method when data is input / output between the predetermined communication unit 5 and the communication unit 5 having a different data frame or communication protocol. .

  The fragment information 37 is information for determining how many small size data are to be divided or how much size is to be divided when dividing large size data into small size data. Conversely, when small-size data is collected into large-size data, it may be used to determine how many pieces of small-size data are combined into one or how much size.

  The multiplexing / integration number 38 is information for determining how many times one data is multiplexed and transmitted, or how many times the multiplexed data is handled as one data.

  The number of retransmissions 39 is used to determine how many times to retransmit (retry) when transmission of data cannot be confirmed by data transmission confirmation (ACK) transmission / reception, that is, when transmission fails. Information.

  The retransmission waiting time 40 is information for determining a retransmission waiting time until a response to data delivery confirmation is waited in the retransmission process.

  Note that the conversion information 30 does not need to have all of these data, and information related to data conversion may be added in addition to these data.

  In the process 702, when data is duplicated, the same conversion information 30 and conversion information ID 24 may be given to each data, or different conversion information 30 and conversion information ID 24 may be given. However, the correspondence table 8 is assumed.

  All processes after the process 703 are executed for each data. That is, a plurality of data can be processed in parallel.

  Based on the conversion information 30 assigned to the data, it is determined whether there is a necessary conversion process (process 704).

  If there is a necessary conversion process, it is determined whether or not all data necessary for the conversion is available (process 705).

  If all necessary data is available, a predetermined conversion process is executed (process 706).

  Thereafter, the process returns to the process 704, and it is determined again whether there is any other necessary conversion process.

  In the process 705, when all the data necessary for the conversion are not prepared and a timeout occurs, it is determined whether or not to continue the conversion process (process 707).

  If it is determined that it is not necessary to continue the conversion process, the process ends.

  If it is determined that the conversion process needs to be continued, the process returns to process 704, and it is determined again whether there is any other necessary conversion process.

  Here, processing from processing 704 to processing 707 is performed with reference to the conversion information 30.

  If there is no necessary conversion processing (when all necessary conversion processing is completed), the attached conversion information 30 or conversion information ID 24 is deleted (processing 708), and data is transmitted using the predetermined communication means 5. (Process 709).

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the configuration of the communication device and the data flow in the first embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a specific process of the communication control unit 4 will be described by taking as an example a communication apparatus 1 having a configuration in which the communication unit 5A, the communication unit 5B, and the communication unit 5C are connected.

  Here, the data acquired by the communication unit 5A is output from the communication unit 5B and the communication unit 5C via the communication control unit 4, and conversely, the data acquired by the communication unit 5B and the communication unit 5C is integrated into the communication unit. Assume that 5A is output.

  The correspondence table 8 used here is shown in FIG. 2, and the conversion information 30 shown in FIG. 3 is used.

  For convenience of explanation, one communication unit 5 is described as having one communication interface 12, but the present invention can be applied even if a plurality of communication interfaces 12 are provided for one communication unit 5. It is.

  That is, FIG. 8 shows that the data acquired by the communication unit 5A is triplex data, but the communication unit 5B can transmit singlex data, and the communication unit 5C can transmit data divided in two. Yes. Conversely, the data acquired by the communication unit 5B and the communication unit 5C are integrated and output from the communication unit 5A. Thereby, highly reliable communication is realizable.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of data processing of the communication device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

  Specific processing will be described with reference to FIG.

  Here, it is assumed that there is data input from the communication means 5A that has passed the process of the determination means 9, and it is determined in process 701 that it is necessary to output data to the plurality of communication means 5 (process 901).

  In this case, in process 702, data is duplicated for the communication means 5B and the communication means 5C.

  Next, in process 703, the conversion information ID 24 (0x0002) is assigned to the data for the communication means 5B, and the conversion information ID 24 (0x0001) is assigned to the data for the communication means 5C (process 902).

  First, the data processing flow for the communication means 5C will be described.

  Assume that it is determined in process 704 that communication quality needs to be evaluated. Next, in process 705, it is determined whether all necessary data is available. If all necessary data are available, communication quality is evaluated (step 903).

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example in which the quality information and the communication quality evaluation method according to the first embodiment of the present invention are associated with each other.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 10, list information for determining a communication quality evaluation method is prepared based on the quality information 34 of the conversion information 30. Here, an evaluation method of RSSI (received signal strength) measurement and PER (packet error rate) measurement corresponding to quality information I and quality information II is executed. The evaluation method corresponding to the quality information III is BER (bit error rate) measurement.

  Specifically, there are processing for storing data acquired when the communication means 5A has already communicated with the external device 7 in a predetermined area, processing for determining a channel to be used by threshold determination, and the like. Parameters such as a threshold value used for communication quality evaluation may be included in the conversion information 30.

  Next, the processing returns to step 704 again, and it is determined that communication channel setting processing is necessary. Subsequently, in process 705, it is determined whether data necessary for the communication channel setting process is available. Here, in the processing 903 for evaluating the communication quality, it is assumed that data necessary for the communication channel setting processing is prepared, and the communication channel is set (processing 904).

  If necessary data is not available, it may be set to a predetermined communication channel, or the communication channel setting process may be terminated. For example, when a valid channel number is set in the communication channel item (channel information) of the conversion information 30, the channel number is used. If a valid channel number is not set, the setting process is terminated.

  Next, returning to the process 704 again, it is determined that conversion from the data format of the communication unit 5A to the data format of the communication unit 5C is necessary. Similarly, in process 705, it is determined whether or not all necessary data is available. If all necessary data is available, a data format conversion process (A → C conversion) is executed (process). 905).

  Here, information necessary for data format conversion is a method of converting a destination address included in the data. If the network to which the communication unit 5A is connected and the network to which the communication unit 5C is connected are different, the address system may be different. Therefore, an address that can be used on the communication unit 5A side is communicated. It is necessary to convert to an address that can be used on the means 5C side.

  For example, when the network on the communication means 5A side is based on IPv6 and the network on the communication means 5C side is based on IPv4, an address conversion table for mutually converting the IPv6 address and the IPv4 address may be prepared.

  Next, the processing returns to the processing 704 again, and it is determined that the data fragment processing is necessary. Here, the data is divided (fragment processing) according to the designated data size (processing 906).

  For example, when the maximum data payload size of the data portion of the communication means 5C is 100 bytes and the maximum data payload size of the data portion of the communication means 5A is 300 bytes, the data is divided into three data.

  If the data size of the data part of the communication means 5A is 80 bytes, there is no need for a fragment, so the process proceeds to the next process. Here, since the fragment process (process 906) and the data format conversion process (process 905) may be related to each other, the process 905 and the process 906 may be integrated.

  Next, the processing returns to step 704 again, and it is determined that the data frame integration processing is necessary. For example, if the data of the communication unit 5 is tripled, the communication unit 5C side transmits the data as a single unit, so that data frame integration processing is executed (step 907).

  Here, in the process 705, the communication unit 5 waits until necessary data, that is, three multiplexed data are collected, and when a time-out occurs, the process is ended or only the collected data is processed together. Continue. If the two pieces of data are the same and the contents of one piece of data are different, the two pieces of data are merged by majority processing, and one different piece of data is discarded. Processing may be performed.

  Finally, the process returns to the process 704 again. However, since it is determined that the necessary process does not remain, after the conversion information 30 is deleted in the process 708, data transmission is executed by the communication unit 5C in the process 709.

  Here, the retransmission process may be executed based on the number of retransmissions 39 and the retransmission waiting time 40 included in the conversion information 30.

  As mentioned above, the order of each process is an example, and does not need to be as shown in FIG. 9, and may be performed in any order as long as there is no trouble as a series of processes. For example, the frame integration processing 907 may be executed after executing the processing 901 of the determination means 9, or the communication quality evaluation processing 903 and the channel setting processing 904 are executed after the frame integration processing 907. Also good.

  The processing method of the data for the communication means 5B to which the conversion information ID 24 (0x0002) is assigned is shown in processing 908 to processing 912. Note that the processing 908 to processing 912 and the processing 903 to processing 907 are substantially the same, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

  Next, the flow of processing when there is data input from the communication unit 5C and conversion information ID 24 (0x0004) is given after processing in the determination unit 9 will be described in detail.

  First, similarly to the above-described process, after the process 920 in the determination unit 9 is completed, a communication quality evaluation process 921 and a channel setting process 922 are executed.

  Next, processing 923 for converting the data format for the communication means 5C into the data format for the communication means 5A is executed.

  Next, a defragment process 924 is performed to combine a series of data from the communication unit 5C into one data.

  Next, in order to multiplex and transmit the data frame in the communication means 5A, processing 925 for multiplexing the frame is executed.

  Finally, returning to the process 704 again, it is determined that the communication means 5 needs to be integrated. Subsequently, in process 705, it is determined whether or not all necessary data is available.

  Here, it is determined whether or not the data from the communication unit 5B and the data from the communication unit 5C are executed from the processing 913 to the processing 918 in the same manner.

  The processing may be continued only when both the data from the communication unit 5B and the data from the communication unit 5C are prepared, or the processing may be continued after a predetermined time even if one of them is not prepared. good.

  When the contents of the data to be integrated are different data on the communication unit 5B side and the communication unit 5C side, data obtained by connecting the two data may be transmitted from the communication unit 5A side.

  The process 919 is a communication means integration (IF integration) process.

  In the present embodiment, the configuration in which the three types of communication means 5A, the communication means 5B, and the communication means 5C are connected has been specifically described. However, the number and types of the communication means 5 can be realized by any configuration.

  Further, the communication means 5 can be added or deleted from the middle.

  For example, a process when a new communication unit 5D is added will be described.

  By adding the new communication means 5D, the existing communication means 5A, the communication means 5B, the correspondence table 8 between the communication means 5C and the newly added communication means 5D, the conversion information 30, and Conversion means 11 is newly required.

  Therefore, a method for adding or updating the correspondence table 8, the conversion information 30, and the conversion means 11 will be described in detail.

  The CPU 2 can know that the communication means 5D has been newly added by using a function similar to plug and play in USB, for example.

  Therefore, the CPU 2 acquires the correspondence table 8 and the conversion information 30 for the communication unit 5D from the memory or the outside via the existing communication unit 5A, the communication unit 5B, or the communication unit 5C.

  If the communication means 5D has information storage means such as a memory, the information may be acquired therefrom.

  The conversion means 11 can be added or updated by, for example, updating a microprogram.

  Regarding the above processing, the communication control unit 4 may execute the role of the CPU 2.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the communication apparatus 1 having a plurality of different communication means 5, data transmission / reception between a certain communication means 5 and a different communication means 5 is performed in parallel for each data. By doing so, it becomes possible to process at high speed.

  Further, by updating the correspondence table 8, the communication device 1 including any communication means 5 can be configured, and communication between different networks can be easily realized.

  In addition, it is possible to prevent a decrease in processing speed when sharing a plurality of types of communication.

  In addition, even when the types of corresponding communication interfaces increase, it is possible to effectively utilize existing assets and support mutual communication between all different types of communication interfaces.

  Hereinafter, Example 2 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a communication device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

  The communication device 100 includes a CPU 2, a storage unit 3, and a communication unit 5.

  The CPU 2, the storage unit 3, and the communication unit 5 are connected to each other by a parallel connection or serial connection bus 6 as in the first embodiment. The storage unit 3 and the CPU 2 may be directly connected without using the bus 6.

  As in the first embodiment, the CPU 2 has a function of reading and executing a program from the storage unit 3 and a function of performing data transmission / reception with the communication unit 5.

  The storage unit 3 also has the same function as in the first embodiment, but includes a correspondence table 108, a determination program 109, a conversion information addition program 110, and a conversion program 111 therein.

  The communication means 5 also has the same function as that of the first embodiment and has a communication interface, but is omitted in FIG.

  The correspondence table 108, the determination program 109, the conversion information addition program 110, and the conversion program 111 respectively implement the functions of the correspondence table 8, the determination unit 9, the conversion information addition unit 10, and the conversion unit 11 in the first embodiment by software. It is.

  Therefore, in the second embodiment, the CPU 2 calls each program in the storage unit 3 to execute data transmission / reception between different communication means by the same processing flow as that of the communication control unit 4 in the first embodiment.

  The conversion program 111 simultaneously processes data from a plurality of communication means 5 by executing in parallel by multitask processing, for example. Since the specific processing procedure and the like are the same as those in the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted here.

  In addition, when a new communication unit 5 is added to the communication device 100, it is newly added to the existing communication unit 5 by updating the correspondence table 108 of the storage unit 3 or adding a conversion program 111. A connection with the communication means 5 thus established can be established.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment, in the communication device 100 including a plurality of different communication means 5, data transmission / reception between the different communication means 5 is performed at high speed by executing each data in parallel. It becomes possible.

  Further, by adding or updating the correspondence table 8 and the conversion program 111, the communication device 100 including the arbitrary communication unit 5 can be configured, and communication between different networks can be easily realized.

  Hereinafter, Example 3 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a communication device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  The communication device 200 includes a CPU 2, a storage unit 3, a plurality of communication control units 204, and communication means 5.

  The CPU 2, the storage unit 3, the communication control unit 204, and the communication unit 5 are connected to each other by a parallel connection or serial connection bus 6 as in the first embodiment. The storage unit 3 and the CPU 2 may be directly connected without using the bus 6.

  The CPU 2 has the same function as that of the first embodiment.

  The storage unit 3 also has the same function as in the first embodiment, but has a correspondence table 208 inside.

  The communication means 5 also has the same function as that of the first embodiment and has the communication interface 12, but is omitted in FIG.

  The communication control unit 204 has the same function as the communication control unit 4 of the first embodiment, but includes a determination unit 9, a conversion information addition unit 10, and a conversion unit 11, and does not have a correspondence table.

  Further, the communication control unit 204 has a function of accessing the correspondence table 208 of the storage unit 3 via the bus 6.

  The storage unit 3 may have a correspondence table for a plurality of communication control units 204 or may have only a correspondence table for some communication control units 204.

  Hereinafter, as an example, the communication apparatus 200 includes two communication control units 204X and a communication control unit 204Y, and includes three types of communication means 5A, communication means 5B, and communication means 5C. explain.

  The communication control unit 204X can handle the data of the communication unit 5A and the communication unit 5B, and the communication control unit 204Y can handle the data of the communication unit 5B and the communication unit 5C.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the correspondence table in the third embodiment according to the present invention.

  An example of the correspondence table 208 for the communication control unit 204X is shown in FIG. 13A, and an example of the correspondence table 208 for the communication control unit 204Y is shown in FIG.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of conversion information according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  The conversion information 30 corresponding to each conversion information ID 24 is shown in FIG.

  In FIG. 14, the output IF 31 and the conversion pattern 36 are specified as the conversion information 30, but it is assumed that other information is actually included as in the first embodiment.

  FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of data processing of the communication device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  FIG. 15 is used to show an example of data processing in the third embodiment.

  First, it is assumed that the communication control unit 204X acquires data from the communication unit 5A.

  Next, processing is executed in the same way as the processing of the determination unit 9 of the first embodiment, and the corresponding conversion information ID 24 and conversion information 30 are acquired from the correspondence table 208. Here, it is assumed that 0x0011 is acquired as the conversion information ID 24 (process 151).

  Next, similarly to the first embodiment, the processing by the conversion unit 11 is executed in order. Here, the data for the communication means 5A is converted into the data for the communication means 5B, and the data is transmitted to the communication control unit 204Y (process 152).

  The communication control unit 204Y acquires data from the communication control unit 204X, and the determination unit 9 acquires 0x0102 as the conversion information ID 24 from the correspondence table 208 (processing 153).

  Next, based on the acquired conversion information 30, the process by the conversion means 11 is performed in order. Here, the data for the communication means 5B is converted into the data for the communication means 5C, and the data is transmitted to the communication means 5C (process 154).

  Similarly, when the communication control unit 204Y acquires data from the communication unit 5C, the data is similarly transmitted to the communication unit 5A via the processing 155 to the processing 158.

  As described above, according to the third embodiment, even when the types of communication means 5 increase, each communication can be performed without adding new hardware by using a combination of a plurality of existing communication control units 204. Data transmission / reception between the means 5 can be realized.

  Hereinafter, Example 4 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a communication device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

  The communication device 300 includes a plurality of communication control units 304 and communication means 5.

  The communication control unit 304 and the communication unit 5 are connected to each other by a parallel connection or serial connection bus 6 as in the first embodiment.

  Further, the CPU 6 and the storage unit 3 may be connected to the bus 6 as in the first embodiment.

  The communication control unit 304 has the same function as that of the first embodiment or the third embodiment, and may have a correspondence table by itself, or corresponds to the storage unit 3 when the storage unit 3 is connected. A table may be provided and accessed via the bus 6.

  Hereinafter, an example of data processing in the fourth embodiment will be described.

  In the fourth embodiment, it is assumed that the communication apparatus 300 includes four types of communication units 5A to 5D and includes three types of communication control units 304X, a communication control unit 304Y, and a communication control unit 304Z.

  The communication control unit 304X has a function of handling data of the communication unit 5A and the communication unit 5B, and the communication control unit 304Y has a function of handling data of the communication unit 5C and the communication unit 5D. And

  The communication control unit 304Z has at least one of the following functions.

  That is, a function that handles data between the communication means 5A and the communication means 5C, a function that handles data between the communication means 5A and the communication means 5D, a function that handles data between the communication means 5B and the communication means 5C, or It has a function of handling data of the communication means 5B and the communication means 5D, or a function of handling data of any three types of communication means 5 among the communication means 5A to 5D. Here, it is assumed that the communication control unit 304Z has a function of handling data of the communication unit 5B and the communication unit 5C.

  In the communication apparatus 300, when it is desired to transmit the data acquired by the communication unit 5A from the communication unit 5D, first, the communication control unit 304X converts the data for the communication unit 5A into data for the communication unit 5B.

  Next, the communication control unit 304Z converts the data for the communication unit 5B into data for the communication unit 5C, and transmits the data to the communication control unit 304Y.

  Finally, the communication control unit 304Y may convert the data for the communication unit 5C into the data for the communication unit 5D and transmit the data to the communication unit 5D.

  As described above, in order to transmit and receive data between the four types of communication means 5, six types of data conversion means are required. However, if there are three types of data conversion means, all communication combinations are supported. Is possible.

  As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, even when the types of communication means 5 are increased, it is not necessary to create hardware and software corresponding to all combinations in data conversion between different communication means 5. By appropriately combining a plurality of communication control units 304, all combinations can be supported.

  Hereinafter, Example 5 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of a communication device according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

  The communication device 400 includes a plurality of communication control units 404 and communication means 5.

  As in the first embodiment, the communication control unit 404 and the communication unit 5 may be connected to each other by a parallel connection or a serial connection bus, or may be directly connected to each other as shown in FIG.

  The communication control unit 404 has the same function as that of the first embodiment or the third embodiment, and may have a correspondence table, or the storage unit 3 when the storage unit 3 is connected to the outside. May have a correspondence table.

  The communication control unit 404 has a function of directly transmitting / receiving data to / from the communication unit 5 or another communication control unit 404.

  Hereinafter, an example of data processing in the fifth embodiment will be described.

  In the fifth embodiment, it is assumed that the communication apparatus 400 includes four types of communication units 5A to 5D and includes three types of communication control units 404X, a communication control unit 404Y, and a communication control unit 404Z.

  Further, it is assumed that the communication control unit 404X is connected to the communication unit 5A and the communication unit 5B and has a function of handling each data. Similarly, it is assumed that the communication control unit 404Y is connected to the communication unit 5C and the communication unit 5D and has a function of handling each data.

  On the other hand, the communication control unit 404Z is connected to the communication control unit 404X and the communication control unit 404Y, and has at least one of the following functions.

  That is, a function that handles data between the communication means 5A and the communication means 5C, a function that handles data between the communication means 5A and the communication means 5D, a function that handles data between the communication means 5B and the communication means 5C, or It has a function of handling data of the communication means 5B and the communication means 5D, or a function of handling data of any three types of communication means 5 among the communication means 5A to 5D. Here, it is assumed that the communication control unit Z has a function of handling data of the communication unit 5A and the communication unit 5C.

  In the communication apparatus 400, when the data acquired by the communication unit 5A is to be transmitted from the communication unit 5C, first, the communication control unit X transmits the acquired data to the communication control unit 404Z as it is.

  Next, the communication control unit 404Z converts the data for the communication unit 5A into data for the communication unit 5C, and transmits the data to the communication control unit 404Y.

  Finally, the communication control unit 404Y may transmit the data to the communication unit C as it is.

  Thus, as in the fourth embodiment, six types of data conversion means are required between the four types of communication means 5, but if there are three types of data conversion means, all combinations of communications can be handled. It is.

  As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, even when the types of communication means 5 are increased, it is not necessary to create hardware and software corresponding to all combinations in data conversion between different communication means 5. By appropriately combining a plurality of communication control units 404, all combinations can be supported.

  The present invention is applicable to communication devices used in communication systems such as the Internet / intranet, wireless LAN, mobile phones, sensor networks, and RFIDs.

1,100,200,300,400 Communication device 2 CPU
3 Storage unit 4, 304, 404 Communication control unit 5 Communication unit 6 Bus 7 External device 8, 208, 308 Correspondence table 9 Determination unit 10 Conversion information adding unit 11 Conversion unit 12 Communication interface 24 Conversion information ID
30 Conversion information 41 Data frame 60 Data 109 Determination program 110 Conversion information addition program 111 Conversion program

Claims (7)

In a communication device having a plurality of communication means for communicating with a plurality of external devices, and an arithmetic processing unit for transmitting or receiving communication data with the plurality of communication means ,
A communication control unit that converts communication data exchanged between the arithmetic processing unit and the communication unit into a data format corresponding to each communication unit;
The communication control unit
Table information for associating a communication path, the type of communication means, and conversion information; a determination means for determining the communication path and the type of communication means; a determination result of the determination means; and the conversion information stored in the table information; Conversion means for converting to a data format corresponding to the communication means,
In the conversion information in the table information, information indicating that the communication data received from the communication unit is copied and transmitted to each of the plurality of other communication units is defined.
The communication device is characterized in that the conversion means replicates the communication data according to the conversion information corresponding to the received communication data . The communication device according to claim 1.
  In the conversion information in the table information, information indicating that communication data received from a plurality of the communication means is integrated and transmitted to the other communication means is defined,
  The communication device is characterized in that the conversion means integrates the communication data according to the conversion information corresponding to the received communication data. The communication device according to claim 1.
In the conversion information in the table information, information indicating that the communication data received from the communication means is multiplexed and transmitted to the other communication means is defined,
The communication device, wherein the conversion means multiplexes data according to the conversion information corresponding to the received communication data . The communication device according to claim 1 .
The determination unit extracts at least a part of data acquired by the communication unit in a format corresponding to the type of the communication unit, and performs parallel processing on the extracted data. The communication device according to claim 1 .
A communication apparatus characterized in that, when a communication means is newly connected, the newly connected communication means has its own conversion information, and updates the table information based on the own conversion information. . The communication device according to claim 1 .
When a communication means is newly connected, conversion information for connecting the already connected communication means and the newly connected communication means to each other is acquired from the external device via the communication means, and acquired. The communication apparatus updates the table information based on the converted information. The communication device according to claim 1 .
Having a plurality of communication control units,
The communication means and the plurality of communication control units are connected to each other via a bus,
The table information associates different types of communication paths, types of a plurality of communication means, and conversion information,
A communication apparatus, wherein data acquired from the communication means is processed via at least one communication control unit, whereby data is transmitted and received between the plurality of communication means.

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